My dad's side of the family is pure Polish, and I grew up eating many a pierogi swimming in butter. Since becoming vegan, I had a hard time finding pierogi that didn't have egg in the dough or a cheese filling ( in the past few years, this has changed, what's up Fresh Thyme?)
One of my favorite restaurants in the city is The Chicago Diner.
Listen up everybody, it's the best. One does not eat a salad at The Chicago Diner. You want breakfast for dinner? They have it. You want a milkshake? It's yours. Nachos and chili fries? Yep and yep.
One day a few years ago, I decided to shake things up a little - ( My go-to, their gyro - is insane, if you have Celiac you WILL die eating this, it's pure gluten) I ordered an intriguing menu item they call the Pierogi Quesadilla. Listed on the menu as "sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, green onions, sautéed mushrooms & Daiya® Cheddar in a folded tomato basil tortilla with vegan dill sour cream."
You don't have to convince me to eat a piece of fried tortilla stuffed with potatoes and cheese. I am IN. And it was so good. I never would've thought to put these ingredients together to make a polka themed mouth party but listen, it works. So for the sake of being a scrappy artist with not much of a going-out budget, I started making them at home! I'm happy to say my version is pretty great. If I was really ambitious I'd make a homemade cashew cream with dill, but this gal is lazy and likes to cut corners.
I want to start dipping my toes into video editing because it's always good to learn a new skill - it was so fun to edit and now I'm a little bit addicted.
Check it out here and scroll to read the recipe!
Pierogi Quesadillas
*Measurements are approximate because I don't plan ahead :)
2 tortillas (preferably tomato-basil or spinach, but anything except corn tortillas will work in a pinch)
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/2 cup slivered onion
1/4 cup sauerkraut
1/4 cup vegan cheese (I used Daiya®️ Cheddar)
~1TBSP dried dill, to taste (or fresh, if you fancy)
~1TBSP vegan butter
splash of almond milk
salt and pepper, to taste
1. Chop your potatoes into 1-inch chunks and boil until soft. Mash with a pat of vegan butter, a splash of almond milk, salt, and a healthy shake of dill. Set aside.
2. Sautée the onions in a bit of oil or vegan butter for a few minutes until soft, then add mushrooms. Add more salt and cook for about 5 minutes until it's all cooked down and charred. When there's about a minute left, shake in a good bit of dill. Take off the heat and set aside.
3. It's assembly time! Grab a tortilla and spread out the cheese. Plop a nice little blob of mashed potatoes on there, layer the onions and mushrooms, and finish it off with a pile of sauerkraut. Slap the other tortilla on top and squish it all together.
4. Throw it on a skillet. I don't think I have to explain to you how to grill a quesadilla, hopefully?
5. Top it off with some vegan ranch (again, I used Daiya®️ but if you want to take it next level, Try the Trader Joe's Vegan Ranch Dip. IT'S SO GOOD. Sprinkle on some green onion bits, if you got 'em.
6. Eat your heart out and thank the Chicago Diner for their ingenious contribution to the world.